Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Students sue over unaccredited uni degrees

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 7h

Emails claiming @westernsydneyu.bsky.social (WSU) students’ degrees had been cancelled may have been fakes, but class actions against WSU and the University of Newcastle are all too real after course accreditation snafus left students unemployable.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Graduates claim unclear marketing left them unemployed.

Australian scientist, quantum researchers win Nobel Prizes

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 7h

An Australian scientist and a group of international quantum researchers have been awarded Nobel Prizes for their work at the cutting edge of chemistry and physics, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Pioneers celebrated for major advances in their fields.

Hackers threaten to release Qantas data

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Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 9h

Hackers have threatened Qantas and 38 other companies to pay a ransom by the end of the week or face their stolen data being published online.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Cybercriminals team up for Salesforce megaleak.

‘Catastrophic’: Groups sue over Trump’s $150k visa fee hike

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 1d

A coalition of education and research groups has taken legal action against the Trump administration’s imposition of a $150,000 application fee for a visa popular among the tech sector.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Exorbitant cost could block highly skilled tech workers.

Telcos hauled before government over Triple Zero outages

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 1d

Australia’s largest telecommunications providers Telstra, Optus, and TPG have been brought before the federal government as it faces criticism from political opponents over two recent Optus outages which blocked Triple Zero calls.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Labor under pressure as new legislation introduced.

ChatGPT wants to be your AI personal shopper

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 1d

With Christmas treats on the shelves of your local grocery store, the holiday shopping season is imminent – and generative AI (genAI) giants want to help, with OpenAI launching commerce services that let ChatGPT recommend gifts and complete your purchase.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Agentic commerce is reinventing the way we buy online.

Fake emails spark cybersecurity fears at Western Sydney Uni

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 2d

Police investigations are underway after emails which initially appeared to have been sent by @westernsydneyu.bsky.social claimed students’ qualifications had been revoked, that more of their personal data had been stolen, and cybersecurity gaps had been left unpatched.

Read more:

Messages claimed degrees were 'revoked', security gaps left exposed.

Calls grow to reveal secret NDIS algorithm

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 2d

Advocacy groups and legal experts are demanding transparency around a new government tool being developed to score the needs of people with disability.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Fears tool reduces people to data points.

NSW flood victims suffer data leak

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Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 2d

Up to 3,000 flood victims in NSW have had their data exposed after a government contractor fed their private details to ChatGPT.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Spreadsheet carelessly uploaded to ChatGPT.

Telstra fined $18m for secret Belong NBN speed drop

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 2d

Telstra has been handed an $18 million fine and ordered to pay back affected consumers after moving thousands of customers of its lower cost brand Belong to a slower NBN plan without informing them.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Telco giant says 'sorry' for not informing customers.

Computer inventions can be patented, court rules

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Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 2d

Artwork created by genAI and other software could be eligible for copyright protection, after a seven-year legal battle ended with a Federal Court ruling that gaming giant Aristocrat can patent game features created by its software without human input.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Aristocrat win sets AI precedent after 7-year battle.

'Quiet cracking': The hidden new workplace crisis

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 2d

Workers are facing a “hidden crisis” of prolonged unhappiness in their jobs, with more than half reporting disengagement and uncertainty about their future, according to new research.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Why every leader should be concerned.

Deloitte to refund government over AI errors

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 2d

Consulting giant Deloitte will partially refund the federal government after acknowledging that generative AI was used in a report containing several fabricated references and quotes.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Generative AI produced fake references, quotes in report.

Learn AI or get out: Accenture

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 2d

Global tech consultant Accenture has issued a blunt directive to its workers: learn to use artificial intelligence or prepare to lose your job.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Tech consultant to ‘exit’ staff who cannot upskill.

Toyota and Australian scientists test GPS alternative

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 6d

Toyota, the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ), and Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) have begun field tests of an Australian-developed navigation system designed to work in tunnels, buildings, and other places where conventional GPS does not work well.

Read more:

New tech to help get around blackspots and jamming.

Global banks to use blockchain for ‘instant’ crypto transfers

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Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 7d

Two major Australian banks have joined global payments network Swift, as well as 32 peers in 15 other countries, to develop a new blockchain-based shared ledger that will standardise the instant cross-border movement of digital assets like cryptocurrency.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Swift-led consortium testing Ethereum to speed cross-border payments.

Aussies win legal battle over Samsung watch battery claim

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 7d

Two Queenslanders have won a legal battle against Samsung Electronics Australia after they were refused a refund when a smartwatch they purchased allegedly did not live up to the company’s advertised battery life.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Two Queenslanders successfully challenge Korean tech giant.

Google builds AI bouncer to stop ransomware

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Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 7d

Tech giant Google has unveiled a novel way to fight ransomware with a new, specialised AI model baked into Google Drive.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Tech giant says antivirus isn’t enough.

New Zealand tech professionals' body shuts down

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 7d

New Zealand’s oldest membership association for technology professionals, @itprofessionalsnz.bsky.social, will abruptly shut down after reaching a “point where the organisation cannot continue”.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Board confirms ITPNZ is insolvent.

Crypto ‘goddess’ convicted in world’s largest seizure

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 7d

A woman has been convicted following a 7-year investigation which saw UK authorities seize more than $11.2 billion in Bitcoin.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Stored $11.2b in Bitcoin at London mansion.

Cybersecurity workforce is ageing and burning out

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 7d

The global cybersecurity workforce is ageing and at risk of burnout, with not enough younger workers ready to step into higher roles, a major new report has found.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Not enough new cyber professionals being trained up.

Australia fast-tracks access to US user data

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 7d

Australian authorities are now accessing personal data from social media and email users in just days under an agreement with the United States, raising fresh questions about digital privacy and transparency.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Police obtain cross-border social media information.

Pathology giant to pay $5.8m over cyberattack

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 7d

Private pathology giant Australian Clinical Labs has agreed to pay $5.8 million over a data breach in early 2022, in what would be the first civil penalty to be handed down for breaches of the Privacy Act.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Australian Clinical Labs breached Privacy Act.

'Wholesale theft': Aussie creatives slam AI data mining

Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 8d

Australian creatives should be properly compensated when their copyrighted works are used to train artificial intelligence models, prominent musicians, writers, and industry groups told a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday.

Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...

Musicians, writers voice copyright concerns to Senate committee.